“From drug busts and drunken brawls to teen romance on display, from an attack goose to a pot-bellied pig on the loose, Rosanne S. McHenry regales her readers with madcap adventures as a California State Park Ranger working in California’s American River Canyon.”
—Barbara J. Moritsch. Ecologist and Author of Wolf Time and The Soul of Yosemite, Finding, Defending, and Saving the Valley's Sacred Wild Nature
“Rosanne tells it like it is, with humor and wonderful details of the pains and joys of working as a California State Park Ranger. Fantastic park stories of people and Mother Nature are featured inside this fascinating peek at the world of a park ranger. Funny, intriguing, and a really good read!”
—Mike Lynch, retired California State Park Ranger and Historian. Author of Rangers of California State Parks: Over 125 Years of Protection and Service
Before we interview the author, here's a bit more about the book:
Tales From a Rogue Ranger is full of stories that speak to the comedy and tragedy of being a park ranger: a job that is nothing like you might imagine. Set against the stunning backdrop of California's American River Canyon, this is an engaging and wildly unusual read about the untamed life of a woman ranger. From a miner riding a mule to a young man lost in the system, these tales show the kaleidoscope of characters a park ranger encounters, giving the reader a fascinating look into a true ranger experience. Readers will laugh out loud, cry tears of sadness, and feel the greatest joy as they revel in this amazing book!
Publisher: Book Baby
ASIN: B0CWSV7J2G
ISBN-13: 979-8350936056
Print Length: 253 pages
You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Bookshop.org. Make sure to add it to your Good Reads list.
Rosanne S. McHenry has worked as both a U.S. National Park Ranger and a California State Park Ranger. Her ranger experiences include the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Rainier National Park, the Auburn State Recreation Area, Folsom Lake, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and Death Valley National Park, among others.
In her latest book, Tales From a Rogue Ranger, McHenry shares her experiences about the rough and tumble life of a patrol ranger near Auburn, California. A park ranger’s job is nothing like you might imagine! Set against the stunning backdrop of California’s American River Canyon, this is an engaging and wildly unusual read about the untamed life of a woman ranger.
McHenry, who first wrote the book Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger, currently lives and works in Auburn, California, with her husband. The beautiful American River Canyon is adjacent to their home in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.
You can find her online at:
Website: https://triptalesbook.com
Instagram: @askrangerrose https://www.instagram.com/AskRangerRose/
--- Interview by Jodi M. Webb
WOW: Congratulations on the release of your second book, Tales From a Rogue Ranger.
You spent decades as a ranger. How did you narrow down which stories you were going to share?
Rosanne: These are my favorite tales, the ones that are the most intrepid and unusual, the craziest, wildest and most engaging stories that will grab readers’ attention and make them amazed to learn about the kinds of challenges a park ranger faces. Most of the stories are about my own adventures as a ranger, but a few of them are about my husband, Vern, whom I worked with, and who had some pretty amazing, hilarious, and heartwarming tales of his own.
All of the stories are true, as outlandish as many of them may sound. Reading these tales now as I write them, I’m amazed myself.
WOW: Your book includes stories that run the gamut from sad to funny to thrilling. Do you enjoy writing one type of story?
Rosanne: That’s a tough question to answer because I enjoy telling all of these stories. I think my favorite ones in this book are about being the Whitewater Rafting Program Manager at the Auburn State Recreation Area, on the North and Middle Forks of the American River. This job was hugely challenging, since it was my responsibility to regulate the 45 different whitewater rafting companies on the river. The parts of the job I enjoyed the most involved being on the river to see what was going on, and to ensure that people were being safe. Some of what I saw was hair-raising, like overloaded rafts, people falling out of boats with no lifejackets or helmets on, transport buses with no brakes, and more. It was my job to correct these problems.
There were always conflicts between miners, rafters, kayakers, day-hikers, campers, picnickers, equestrians, and the occasional mountain lion or bear. How do you manage all those conflicting uses? Everyone goes outdoors with different expectations. So it was very rewarding when I was able to work with the different user groups to come up with solutions.
WOW: Although you portray most of the people in your book in a positive light, did you ever worry that people would not like being in your book or that they would claim you remembered an event incorrectly?
Rosanne: Great question! I asked my former co-workers to review the book for just this reason. When you work that closely with other park rangers and staff you get to know them like family. We patrolled together, trained together, shared confidences, and sometimes endured tragedy together. It was a brotherhood. I don’t think any of the former staff I worked with will be surprised to read these stories. They all have equally adventurous tales of their own.
WOW: What is one thing you hope that readers will remember after reading Tales From a Rogue Ranger?
Rosanne: I hope the book will give readers a true appreciation of nature and the importance of protecting our parklands.
I also hope readers will also realize the myriad challenges facing park rangers. As they read the stories people will laugh at the antics of the characters, but they’ll also feel amazed at the challenges rangers endure. We put our lives on the line every single day. The dangers we face are very real. The job isn’t easy, but it is immensely rewarding. I can’t think of any other career which offers that kind of freedom and autonomy.
WOW: Your book shares that challenges of being a ranger; what are the challenges of being a writer?
Rosanne: The most difficult for me is promoting the book. Like most writers, I just want to write, and not have to think about how to compete with 80 million other books out there. It’s not easy to market a new book. I recall something my editor told me, and I didn’t really understand what she meant until I wrote my own book: “The book is finished; now the real job begins!” This is so true. Outreach and marketing are an ongoing process requiring perseverance and creativity.
WOW: Did you learn anything while writing your first book that made you do things differently for Tales From a Rogue Ranger?
Rosanne: I realized that it’s critical to promote the book as soon as it is being released. This is why the blog tour is an important element of that outreach. Also, my first book was only released on Amazon and Ingram in paperback and Kindle. This time I went with a different publisher that does marketing outreach to all the major book platforms.
Another key thing I learned is to minimize the front and back pages. I gave a brief introduction and prologue to help put the stories into context. But from the beginning, the reader is dropped right into the midst of eye-popping activity. Readers get impatient if they have to slog through too many unnecessary pages, especially if they are looking at a sample online. It’s important to grab the readers’ attention immediately and get to the story. Open up the first chapter with a bang and keep things moving throughout. No boring reminiscing or overly-descriptive scene-setting. Give the reader enough to set the stage, but don’t drown them with excessive detail. If I’m reading a book and have to review the ‘history of the world’ before I can hope to get to the first scene, they’ve lost me.
WOW: Let's forget about the tough parts of being a writer, what's the most fun?
Rosanne: The most rewarding thing about being an author is when someone tells me they felt like they’d been there, right inside the stories! When my readers tell me they felt like they experienced, first hand, the adventures I describe, that for me is the most rewarding thing in the world.
I really love it when a child reads the stories and turns to their parents to tell them, in an excited voice, about how much they love the book. I’ve read some of these stories to my six-year old grandson and have him laughing out loud.
WOW: I think you definitely succeeded in dropping readers right into the action! So much so, that now I'm thinking about summer vacation at a national park. Which national or state parks are on your wish list?
Rosanne: I hope to go to Denali, Badlands, Carlsbad Caverns, Rocky Mountain National Park, Dinosaur National Monument and so many more. I want to return to Yellowstone again because that was so varied and spectacular. I love the Colorado Plateau country of Arizona and Utah the most, and especially love Grand Staircase/Escalante.
WOW: What are you working on now?
Rosanne: At the moment I’m busy launching Tales From a Rogue Ranger, but afterward, I plan to begin writing Travels With Gus, a story about our cantankerous but lovable old motorhome we named ‘Gus’. Born in 1977, Gus was over thirteen years old he we acquired him in 1992. By then he had already traveled all over the West, including Alaska. Gus was a standard shift, four-speed mini pickup with no power steering, so navigating him up and down winding country roads was hard work.
Gus was tiny, so the four of us (me, my husband and our two kids) had to share two small bunk beds and sit close together around the makeshift dining table, but we loved the freedom of the open road and having our own little camping rig. He was so small he could fit into any parking space anywhere. We drove him all over California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, visiting stunning national parks and exploring backroads no one had ever heard of!
We had amazing times in Gus, ranging from mishaps to marvelous adventures. Sometimes he’d just quit running and we’d be stranded in a little backwater town, waiting for an obscure mechanical part to come in so we could get him going again. Other times his engine would screech at us as we tried to nudge him up a steep hill. Sometimes he couldn’t quite make it, and we’d have to roll back downhill and make another run. He sounded like a grumpy old man, but this was his charm. We especially loved taking him to the beach where we could hear the waves crashing outside.
WOW: Growing up, my family spent summer camping and we had plenty of crazy mishaps. I look forward to hearing about your adventures with Gus.
--- Blog Tour Calendar
April 8th @ The Muffin
Join us at WOW as we celebrate the launch of Rosanne McHenry’s book Tales from a Rogue Ranger. Read an interview with the author and enter for a chance to win a copy of the book.
April 9th @ What Is That Book About
Get the 411 on Tales From a Rogue Ranger, the story of life as a ranger by Rosanne S. McHenry in today's book spotlight.
April 10th @ Fancy That!
Summer's right around the corner! Get ready with Advice for a Road Trip to a National Park, a guest post by author Rosanne S. McHenry.
April 11th @ Words by Webb
Looking for a different kids of vacation read? Read a review of Rosanne McHenry's Tales From a Rogue Ranger.
April 12th @ Sara Trimble
Read of review of Rosanne McHenry's Tales From a Rogue Ranger today.
April 15 @ A Storybook World
The spotlight is on Tales From a Rogue Ranger, a book about Rosanne McHenry's adventures as a park ranger.
April 18th @ Word Magic: All About Books
Rosanne S. McHenry, author of Tales From a Rogue Ranger learned a lot during her days as a ranger. Today she shares How NOT to Get Bitten by a Gigantic Rattlesnake.
April 19th @ Pages and Paws
Stop by for a review of Rosanne S. McHenry's book Tales From a Rogue Ranger by Kristine and her canine reviewing partner Kimber.
April 20th @ The Shaggy Shepherd
Join Isabelle at The Shaggy Shepherd for a guest post about the Best National Parks for Families by Rosanne S. McHenry, author of Tales From a Rogue Ranger.
April 22nd @ Beverly Baird
Learn Beverley's thoughts about of Rosanne S. McHenry's latest book Tales From a Rogue Ranger.
April 23rd @ Chapter Break
Stop by for an interview with Rosanne McHenry, author of Tales From a Rogue Ranger.
April 24th @ Choices
Rosanne McHenry, author of Tales From a Rogue Ranger, tells us how she learned to Succeed at a Job You Never Wanted
April 26th @ Beverly Baird
Stop by Beverley Baird's blog for a guest post by author Rosanne S. McHenry about how to choose which life stories "make the cut" in your memoir.
April 26th @ The Faerie Review
The Faerie Review is spotlighting Tales From a Rogue Ranger by Rosanne S. McHenry.
April 27th @ Pages and Paws
Rosanne S. McHenry, author of Tales From a Rogue Ranger, shares why being a ranger is Not Just a Walk in The Woods by sharing some animal rescues.
April 30th @ World of My Imagination
Read Nicole's review of Tales From a Rogue Ranger by Rosanne S. McHenry.
May 2nd @ Sara Trimble
Stop by Sara Trimble's blog for a guest post on how to choose a book cover from Rosanne McHenry, author of Tales From a Rogue Ranger.
May 9th @ Knotty Needle
Judy shares her thoughts on Rosanne McHenry's latest book: Tales From a Rogue Ranger.
May 11th @ Boys' Mom Reads!
Find out what a Boys' Mom thinks of Tales From a Rogue Ranger by Rosanne McHenry.
May 12th @ Jill Sheet's Blog
Learn more about the author of Tales From a Rogue Ranger with an interview of Rosanne McHenry.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a copy of Tales from a Rogue Ranger by Rosanne McHenry. Fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win. The giveaway ends April 21st at 11:59 pm CT. We will choose a winner the next day and announce in the widget and also follow up via email. Good luck!
Thanks for a great interview, Rosanne. Reading your book has inspired my husband and I to visit our favorite state park for a bird walk next week. They even let us borrow binoculars!
ReplyDeleteWonderful interview. I'm a huge nature lover and my backyard is the Sequoia NF, and I appreciate rangers so much! :) Your book is on my reading list. Good luck on your tour!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your book!
ReplyDeletewill be a fascinating read!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fascinating book. Can't wait to read.
ReplyDeleteLove to win this book. Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very interesting. Added to my "must read" list.
ReplyDelete